About Arctic Rafting
Our history
Arctic Rafting has decades worth of history and has been enjoying the rapids of Hvítá river since 1985.
Our people
The team at Arctic Rafting is a close knit group of people filled with love for the river and years of experience.
Our location
Where is Drumbó and what does it offer? Rafting, kayaking, food, drinks, hot tubs, sauna and more.
About Arctic Rafting
Rafting in the Golden Cirlce since 1985
Arctic Rafting is a small locally owned company. Our favorite thing to do is rafting and being on the river. The rafting trips on Hvítá River have been running from this location since 1985, and has since then become one of the most popular outdoor activities in Iceland. It is a cherished activity among locals as well as foreigners, as it combines thrilling waves with the fantastic views of basalt columns and Brúarhlöð, the canyon that Hvítá flows through. The river is comfortably situated a short drive from Gullfoss and Geysir, right in the heart of the Golden Circle, making it a perfect adventure activity to add to your Golden Circle experience.
Arctic Rafting sets itself high standards for safety. All guides are certified by the International Rafting Federation (IRF), have a Swift Water Rescue certification in addition to advanced training in first aid with Wilderness First Responder. This ensures that rafting down Hvítá is a safe activity, for anyone who is up for a fun adventure! We raft because we think rafting on a glacier river is something that everyone should have on their bucket list, the cool water splashes are reviving and the views from the river are simply magnificent!
The History of Rafting in Hvítá
Bátafólkið / The Boat People
The history of rafting in Iceland dates back to 1983 when the couple Villa and Bassi began playing on the river. They had bought a book about river rafting, ordered a boat from abroad and built the paddles themselves. In the beginning they flipped the boat, went man overboard, but said that they learnt the ways of the river fast, as the river is cold. In 1985 they began to operate tours for Icelanders and in 1990 they began taking foreign visitors down the river under the name Bátafólkið (e. The Boat People)
Drumbó River Base
Drumboddstaðir farm is the cradle of river exploration in Iceland, Villa and Bassi knocked on the farm’s door in 1985 to ask if they could dry their socks. One of the inhabitants at Drumbó, a Drumba-sister, came to the door. Later in an interview she said that the couple never left after that first day. In 1990, the couple bought an old barn at Drumboddsstaðir and turned it into a river base.
The Icelandic River Community
Villa and Bassi got further assistance from abroad with river safety and knowledge from Norway, New Zealand, UK, Mexico and Nepal thus building up the river community in Iceland. In the year 2005 a couple of young rafters, Torfi and Jón Heiðar bought the operation, as well as a competing company, Arctic Rafting, founded in 1997 with Drumbó serving as River Base.
What is this rafting?
Good question! Rafting is an outdoor activity which uses an inflatable raft to sail down a river and has been popular since at least 1950. The boats used are made of advanced nylon and at Drumbó we have 8-10 person boats. Everyone is equipped with a paddle and therefore teamwork is needed to navigate down the river. All team members need to paddle, according to the instructions of the river guide.
On Hvítá it is possible that you might fall overboard, but the river is friendly and our guides will quickly assist you to get back on the boat. In all cases you will get wet.
Whitewater is divided into classes based on the difficulty of each river, mostly based on how demanding the rapids are. The classes go from class 1 up to class 6 with Class 1 being the easiest, and class 6 the hardest. If there is one class 3 rapid on the river, the whole river section would be graded as class 3, even though some of the rapids are only class 2.
Hvítá is graded as class 2, therefore it contains some rough water and requires maneuvering, which your guide will be responsible for. The skill level required is basic and is therefore suitable for most people.
Our people
Arctic Rafting
In 2005 the young rafters established Arctic Adventures, offering a wider range of adventure tours, such as glacier hikes and snorkeling alongside the original Icelandic adventure tour: rafting. In 2020, Ms. Tinna Sigurðardóttir became the new owner of the reestablished Arctic Rafting. She bought out the rafting operations and once again Drumbó River Base only housed specialized rafting operations. Tinna is a former teenage-rafting-groupie that turned into a river professional.
Ms. Tinna Sigurðardóttir
Tinna has over 16 years of experience in a wide variety of adventure tours in Iceland. Tinna from the very first splash in Hvítá became passionate about the river, river sport and river travel. In addition to being a river guide she is also a white water kayaker, glacier guide and dive instructor. You could say she likes water in all its forms, white water, sea, frozen and of course our sauna. In addition to that, she also holds a degree in Business Administration from Griffith University, Australia.
Back to the roots!
Tinna’s family is originally from Efstidalur, a place not far from where Drumbó is situated. Arctic Rafting puts an emphasis on contributing to the local community. One example is by cooking with the vegetables grown in the farmhouses nearby, which also aids in our quest to be environmentally friendly. We treat nature with respect, by leaving minimal trace on our tours. We of course recycle and compost, delivering the nutrients back into the earth, where they belong.
Our location
Drumbó River Base and Restaurant
Our river base and headquarters Drumbó is located on the banks of the glacial river Hvítá on the converted and renovated former farm of Drumboddsstadir, beautifully located at the heart of the Golden Circle. So when making your way through some of the iconic must do sights in Iceland; Þingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir make the most of your day and swing by for a rafting tour with us to add some adventure to the exploring.
All of our rafting tours begin from Drumbó River Base ( a.k.a our headquarters) and there we get geared up for rafting and river trips. Drumbó is 98 kilometers from Reykjavík, about 1.5 hours in a car. You can find us on Google maps by searching for “Drumbo River Base” or clicking here.
You can also see the location of Drumboddstadir on this map.
Maps of the rapids
Check out this map for more details on the base and the river.
First stop: Drumbó River Base
Drumboddsstaðir a.k.a Drumbó Rive Base is where all our tours begin and the home to our river facilities, restaurant, sauna, hot tub, and raft guides. Drumbó is conveniently located on the famous Golden Circle. We raft on the Hvítá River, which creates Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls. From Gullfoss, the water flows a few kilometers down and then reaches the point where we begin our rafting trip. Fortunately, the tour begins below Gullfoss, ensuring that the possibility of going down Gullfoss is virtually non-existent. Further below, the river merges with Sogið thereby creating the river Ölfus which is the largest river by volume in Iceland.
Drumbó is also situated in an area in Iceland that is known for good weather, well, at least by Icelandic standards. We are also fortunate that in the area nearby there are plenty of rivers to play in. In the center of Iceland there are big glaciers, Langjökull and Hofsjökull, that get too warm during the summer and start to melt and flow South. Therefore, we as river lovers consider it a fabulous place to live, as there are plenty of places to play and explore. We get confirmation of its excellency every year as world famous paddlers come visit us to experience the rivers here.
River Restaurant
Drumbó has a full restaurant and bar operating in season: River Restaurant. We have a range of full courses, drinks on tap and other refreshments. You can reserve your table here or order food with your river trip.